Sailing Education Adventures

If you had joined Wayne and Leah Thursday night at The Sports Basement's Speaker Series, you might actually be inspired to do so!

Wayne and Leah gave a great talk about the benefits and fun of learning small boat sailing. Wayne has been teaching small boat sailing to many SEA beginners for over 10 years. His teachings have paid off and continue to do so (see story on SEA SailCamp). Leah took his SEA Intro class ten years ago,  and now she can dazzle us with her own voyages crewing in the South Pacific or her numerous coastal California trips. And, as this goes to print, she is setting sail to Santa Cruz crewing aboard Escapade (along with SEA member Katka) for the 2010 Windjammers Race. And, we all know she's gotten to be a very respected and competive skipper racing her Santana 22 Kelly Shawn!

Thanks, Leah and Wayne, for sharing your knowledge and inspiration! AJ, thanks for your support Thursday night, too!

Shockwave does appear to be high in the sky. But, Tuesday night's SYC Beer Cans racing will be the true test now that SEA's Santana 525 got a nice bottom cleaning and painting this week at Spaulding Wooden Boat Center in Sausalito.

There is something humbling when you watch a boat get hoisted into the air and it towers above you on the docks. You see the full exposed body of what keeps you floating in the SF Bay Waters. You can admire the shape of its keel and be in awe of how that one "wing tip" can slice through water and keep you from rolling when you hit 30 knots of wind.

So, question of the week - What type of keel does Shockwave have:

1. Full Keel

2. Fin Keel

3. Modified Fin Keel

4. Bulb Keel

5. Wing Keel

Don't know? Then it's time to quiz the skipper on a your next SEA Keelboat Sail!

Thanks to Sandor and Karen Brenner for a 7:30am delivery of Shockwave to Spaulding this week. And, thank you Frank for ensuring the bottom paint selection will keep Shockwave flying for a few years.

Also, one big thank you to Spaulding for great work. SEA really appreciates it!

• Strategy (Wind and Current)
• Tactics (Other Boats)
• Racing Rules (Boat meets Boat)
• Pointing (Going Upwind Well)
• The Ladder
• Racing Starts OTW
• Helming
• Start sequence and timing

Cost: $150

When

Two evening sessions: Th Sep 9 and 16 7-9 pm  Sports Basement
On The Water Start Clinic:  Sat, Sep. 18, 10:00 am Basin 4

They say getting to the Channel Islands is a breeze - downwind sail all the way. But, SEA member John Paul Watts had his tricky friend Zephyr surprise him once again (read Birthday Bash, dated May 14), with a bash up and down the California coast!

Barbara McVeigh got to join marvelous mentors John Paul and Kenichi aboard Summer Solstice, a 34 Tartan, for four days to Morro Bay (don't make her same mistake and wait seven years to get on open ocean!). Delights of a breaching orca, albatross and seemingly illuminated one eyed creatures (jelly fish?) joined us along the voyage.

JP files this full report. And a huge SEA welcome back to the double-handed, well seasoned sailors for one tough 1,100 nautical mile voyage!

SEA's Sail Camp wraps up another season. We had record breaking numbers and kids had top notch sailing fun.

Wayne McIntosh, Sail Camp Head Counselor Extraordinaire, along with his eight trusty counselors, sailed with over 160 youth sailors this year. Camp kids were stoked, to say the least. They played games, capsized for fun, raced to nearby islands and beaches, and, of course, learned to sail a boat, too!

Every Friday parents got to join in on the Pico fun while kids took the helm. Here are some comments we heard at the docks from parents:

"It's the best $300 I ever spent!," one dad quoted.
"When can he sail again? It's all he talks about!" one mom asked eagerly.
"You're definitely doing this program next year, right?" another mom asked SEA.